Gripping elements for containers, which are also referred to as gripping claws, have long been known from the prior art. Such conventional gripping elements are used, for example, to lift containers, such as bottles in particular, into or out of crates. Usually a plurality of such gripping elements are provided which grip, for example, a plurality of bottles arranged in the crate and transfer them to a different position. Such apparatuses may operate in a rhythmical manner as packing devices or as unpacking devices or else for combined uses. When packing, the containers firstly arrive on one or more container tables and are routed there, for example, into lanes. The containers are then picked up by gripping elements, moved into the packing position, and placed into empty crates which are waiting ready.
During these packing and unpacking processes, however, various errors may occur which lead to the situation whereby individual containers are not gripped. The causes of such failures may vary; for example, in the case of bottles with clip closures, the clip closures may hook onto the beverage crate or else the container may be damaged in such a way that it cannot be gripped properly. Another source of error lies in the fact that a specific gripping element is faulty and therefore the bottle in question cannot be gripped.
It may be desirable to provide a method and an apparatus which makes it easier to discover a specific source of error as to why gripping elements are not gripping containers.